Tuesday September 11 2012
The spectacular Hart Creek trail will be Day 2 of the Owyhee Canyonlands ride, September 25-29.
The Old West really comes to life when you ride this trail. When you pass the historic detritus of an old homestead, you can't fail to think about the pioneers who settled this country, and you imagine what it must have been like without cars and phones and internet, in the drought-summers and snowy winters, depending solely on the running water of Hart Creek to keep you going here.
(This is just the White People history; of course the Native American Indians were here doing their thing long before the white people invaded - their leavings are harder to find, and I'd just as soon keep them secret anyway.)
[video here]
More to come, and a recap of the last 9 years of the Owyhee Canyonlands at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012OwyheeCanyonlands/http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012OwyheeCanyonlands/
Once I came across a rusty old horse plough abandoned in a wet heathery field in the bleak north of Scotland. It made me wonder just what optimism would make someone try to farm such an inhospitable place. I guess that your hills are the arid equivalent. What a spirit drives some people to strive.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I'd love to join!!! Thanks for the fun and wonderful movie. Did you walk down the steep hill to make it easier for Mac?
ReplyDeleteJanneke
Catching up again.
ReplyDeleteI always admire the wild and wonderful beauty of your part of the country.
It's a gorgeous place to stage an endurance ride like that.
It always amazes me that people could actually survive in certain areas of the west with nothing but their fortitude and hope. I wonder how many tried and made it and how many didn't. So interesting. Looks like it's going to be a great ride.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did Janneke. I tend to get off older horses to go down steep hills, and I tend to let the younger ones carry me, to get used to balancing the extra weight.
ReplyDeleteand sometimes, it just feels good to stretch the legs!
Thank you for your reply! I always walk uphill in the forest with the 25 year old mare. The descents aren't that steep though and the climbs are short I think in comparison to the desert hills. Stretching the legs feels good indeed!
ReplyDeleteJanneke
Again a great video! Thanks!
ReplyDelete